You Belong with Me
by SheshaLesha
Summary: Join Bella as she remembers her life and the choices she has made that led her up to having to choose Safe Edward or Rocker Boy Jasper...AH,Rated M,NC,BxExJ
1. Meeting Bella

**You Belong with Me**

**Join Bella as she remembers her life and the choices she has made that led her up to having to choose Safe Edward or Rocker Boy Jasper...**

Sadly I only own the plot, not the characters...

**A/N:**

First, I have to thank You all for sticking with me while I reworked this. The story in my head was not the story that I was writing and I have to take a minute and thank **suzie55**. She was the first person I told any of my thoughts to and the one that pointed out that I wasn't following my own thoughts. I appreciate her honesty and thoughtfulness more than she will ever know. She is an awesome writer, and I am honored to say friend. Thank You and HUGS!

Second I have to thank my team of Beta's...yes, I need a team! PunkFox825 for helping me get the story out of my head and into words. She is my sounding board and I would be completely lost without her input and advise. nanas_mommy_ for helping me in me relearn everything from my years of English classes. _Hopefully it sticks this time_. And finally twimomlover for pre-reading and being a supportive encouraging friend.

Last but not least all of you who have followed me, supported me, and encouraged me to keep at it. THANK YOU!

_Okay on with the show..._

**Chapter 1: Meeting Bella**

Enjoy….

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"Hi Angela. I am so happy that we could find the time to get together," I said as I hugged my friend.

"I know, we've been so busy with finals and graduation, I'm sure if my head wasn't attached I'd have lost it by now," Angela leaned forward to give me a welcoming hug in return.

"I think I've lived on coffee alone for the last two weeks. It's a good thing I love it so much. Have you ordered yet?"

Sunny Side Up has been my home away from home for the last four years while I was attending Texas A&M in Corpus Christi. The small cafe served the best coffee and surprisingly good food. They had a full menu 24 hours a day, catering to the university crowd.

"It's been almost a month; ya wanna get the cholesterol special as always?" I asked Angela, rubbing my belly to emphasize my appetite.

"Heeeheee, yeah, but I'm really gonna pig out and order the heart attack on a plate too. We're splitting everything right?" Angela asked.

"Don't you know it! I could never pass up French fries drenched in chili and cheese. Just like you could never pass up nachos _soo_ loaded down with goodies that the chip won't hold it all," I replied, while I waved down a nearby waitress.

"You make me so jealous. We've been meeting here almost every week for a year. You eat the worst food and yet, you look damn hot," Angela teased.

Growing up surrounded by boys and preferring the beach rather than the mall, at the age of twenty-two, I had been practicing yoga for twelve years and surfing for fifteen. I am tall, toned, and some would say beautiful. My dad, Charlie and I, moved to Texas when I was seven. Charlie's sister, Renee was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We promptly packed up and moved from our wet, dreary home in Washington to a small town in South Texas.

Renee had passed away shortly after we moved in to help take care of her and her two sons, Emmett and Jacob. Cousins, who are more like brothers to me, definitely gave me a hard time growing up. Em is a year older and about seventy-five percent of the time played the protective older brother character really well. Jacob is a year younger, and he had perfected the annoying little brother character to a T.

We spent our youth giving Charlie every one of his gray hairs and ruling the neighborhood. Our house was the hang out for all the neighborhood kids, which happened to be ninety-nine percent male populated. I had to play the part of tomboy or else I would have been buried in the back yard, with nothing but a drinking straw sticking out of the ground. I faced the challenge of being a tomboy, blending into the group of rough and rugged boys that lived on my block.

"It's all the surfing I do with Jacob. I am telling you, one day I am gonna drag you to the beach and duct tape you to a board. You will love it," I threatened her for the hundredth time.

"No. I'm good. I like my treadmill, ThankYouVeryMuch...show off," Angela snickered. "So, how is Jacob by the way?"

"You know, I am well aware of your undying affection for Ben, but I can see the lustful gleam in your eye when you say _Jacob._" I was being mean, I really should stop, but it was too funny to watch her turn into a giggling teenager whenever the thought of my gorgeous cousin came up.

"Oh! Look! Just in time!" Angela practically shouted with glee as the waitress set our artery clogging buffet down in front of us.

"Safer topic...How is Ali? Still bugging the ever living shit out of you?" Angela giggled.

"Ha! You can say that because you have not been tied to the hip of the spastic fairy since you were ten. You don't know her the way I do. Did you know that on the first day of fifth grade, she woke me up at four-thirty in the morning? She was so excited and nervous; she claimed she just couldn't sleep anymore. So, of course, neither could I." I continued to rant as the memory of meeting Mary Alice Cullen, came back to me.

"_Bells! Hold up! Where's the fire?" Charlie shouted from the front door._

"_They're here! The new family is here! See! They have a little girl!" I shouted with glee._

"_Okay Bells, hold up and I will go over with you," Charlie said as he walked at a snail's pace to escort me over to meet our new neighbors._

_I stood there thinking I was going to explode; I was finally not going to be the only girl on the block. I didn't think about my shyness, or if we would even have anything in common. She was a girl with braids in her hair. I had never had braids in my hair. Even if she still watched Barney, we were going to be friends!_

"_Hello, welcome to the neighborhood. I am Chief Swan, Charlie," my dad waved over to the family gathering their belongings out of the car._

"_Hi! We are the Cullen's. I am Carlisle and this is my wife Esme. My son over there is Edward and this here is my daughter Alice," the doctor replied back in a smooth welcoming voice._

"_Dad. Daaad. Daaaaaad," I was whispering from behind his leg. "How old is their daughter? Can she be my friend?"_

_I must not have been whispering very softly because all three of the grown-ups looked over at me and each let out a big belly laugh._

"_Hi sweetie. What's your name?" Esme leaned down to speak to me. She smelled of cupcakes and buttercream icing._

"_My name is Bella. I am ten; I'll be eleven in September. I am going into the fifth grade. I am the only __girl on the block. I like to read. I want to learn how to make cupcakes; I don't have a mo-"_

_I was abruptly interrupted by Charlie, "Bells, she asked what your name was not your life story."_

"_I can teach you how to make cupcakes," the little girl Alice interrupted._

_Her voice was kind of squeaky, like she had been inhaling a helium balloon. She shyly danced circles around her parents, peaking out every so often, sizing me up. I didn't care. I was going to learn to make cupcakes with my new best friend and her mom._

"_My name is Alice, but you can call me Ali.I am also birthday is in March.I think we are gonna be best friends.I do not like boys.I like reading too.I hate video games.I have a huge marker collection because I like to you sing?Because if we are gonna be best friends, you have to sing with says I am a TV junkie.I like Blossom and Saved by the shows do you watch?" _

_She rattled all of that out in about two seconds flat, without taking a single pause, sounding very much like Six Le Meure. My mouth hung open as I stared at her with bugged out eyes. I was trying to figure out when she took a breath when I heard Esme giggle._

"_Sorry sweetie. Our Ali, she is a Tasmanian devil. You are going to need to eat your broccoli if you expect to keep up with her."_

"I'm sorry. Spaced out there for a moment. Just remembering the first time I met Esme and Ali. They really have changed my life. I can't imagine what my life would be like if the Cullen's had never moved in next door," I apologized to Angela, who was snapping her fingers in front of my face.

"Hey, it's okay. I understand. I know you have a lot going on, graduating with a double major, life and work, I am surprised you aren't completely gray," Angela teased.

"Hardy. HarHar...You know where ya can stuff it... don't ya!"

"Have you heard back from any of your job scouting? Any school would be lucky to have you. You'll save them so much money. They'll be able to close down their music program and you can combine English one-oh-one with Music one-oh-one. Hmmm, wonder what Romeo and Juliet would sound like in a B sharp?" Angela giggled.

"You're just full of it today aren't you? I have gotten a few offers, all for High School English. I would really like to get a position for Elementary Music though. So much more fun," I said.

"Well have you tried the Houston area? They have hundreds of private schools with bigger budgets?" Angela asked apprehensively.

"Sooo, anywaaay..." I drawed out, changing the subject. "How is the Ben-myster?"

"Oh, he's good. He was accepted into Baylor. Isn't that where Edward is?" Angela asked.

I stuffed my mouth full of French fries, avoiding that topic and nodded my head yes. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes as we ate.

"So, when are you leaving me to go join the big city folks?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah, I'll be leaving you. But you know you will be coming to Houston often to visit me and shop. You know, as well as I do, that Esme can't last a month without going to the Galleria to do some _real_ shopping," Angela appeased me.

"Yes. That woman is a slave to the mall. Going to the Galleria is like dying and going to heaven for Esme and shop-till-you-drop Ali," I agreed. "The first time that they took me to the Galleria mall, I thought my feet were going to fall off. I swear I still have phantom pains in my feet from that trip. Charlie had never stepped foot in a mall, we shopped at Wal-Mart or Academy for the first ten years of my life. It wasn't a big deal, I really didn't know any better, but Esme, the epitome of elegance and sophistication, knew better. I'm still not sure what she said to Charlie, but when I got home that weekend my entire closet was cleared out to make room for the amount of clothes that I bought."

"Could you imagine if _or when_ you live there the amount of shopping that those two are going to make you do?" Angela said.

"Oh my god! NO! My feet are falling off now." I reached to rub the phantom pain in my foot.

Since the age of ten, Esme has been the mom that I never had. Esme has sat on the side lines of every choir concert, national anthem at sporting events, talent show, and grungy hole in the wall pub gig I had. Esme is just as much my mother as she is to Ali and Edward. I have never needed for anything, being blessed with an abundance of friends and family. My dad, being the Police Chief and Carlisle, the Chief of Surgery, were not always able to be at all of our childhood events, but not Esme. She was always there supporting and cheering us on. The Cullen's were more than just my neighbors; our two households formed a close bond. Having five children, basically all the same age, was a task that Esme, Carlisle, and Charlie took seriously. I know that Charlie was grateful for the help that he had in raising his nephews and daughter. I also know the troubles that Carlisle and Esme had in having a large family. It was unorthodox, but Charlie, Esme, and Carlisle are my parents, and Emmett, Jacob, Edward, and Alice are my siblings.

"Have you purchased your dress for graduation?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, on Saturday Esme and Ali dragged me to Dillard's before my shift at Mikey's Pub," I answered, "Which by the way, I will be _soooo veeery_ sad to hang my waitress hat up next week."

"No, Mikey will be sad to see your booty shake right out the door. I bet he has cried in his beer for the last month," Angela laughed.

"Yeah, I know. It has been a _real long_ four years."

"Okay...I can't wait any longer. Have you made a decision yet?" Angela asked.

"Nope," I answered.

"How are you ever going to be able to pick which one?" Angela asked.

"I really just don't know Angela. I've thought about this non-stop since Christmas. I'm honestly surprised I passed any of my classes," I explained.

"Bella, I understand your dilemma, but graduation is two weeks away. You need to have your answer, and you aren't any closer to figuring that out today, than you were in February," Angela reminded me

"Ang, it is just so hard. Whichever way I choose, my life will drastically change. I fear change...," I pouted as my words trailed off.

"No," she paused as she thought. "You fear the unknown. You have never had to step out on your own. If you aren't with your cousin's, then you're with the Cullen's. I am the first friend you've had since your were seven, that is only friends with you and not your whole family, and you even tried to change that by dragging me to that god awful Police barbeque last August."

"Ohhh, yeah, I remember that. You looked so scared when Em walked up to you. I know he is as big as a house, but you looked like he was the big green Hulk or something. And then he told that stupid joke about witches at the beach, I swear I was gonna piss myself with the faces you were making."

"Oh. My. God. I remember that too. I come up to his waist or something. I bet I could wear his bracelet as a belt. He walked up all serious like he was going to bust me for that puff of a joint I took in the ninth grade, and then he starts telling that ridiculous kid's joke. What do you call a witch that lives at the beach?"

"A sandwich," I answered trying to not laugh at the expression that she was making. "He has told that joke since he was eleven. The first time he told it we all yelled out bitch, and Esme made us scrub the patio floors. Em snickered the whole time saying it was the 'best joke ever'."

"Yeah, well I didn't know if I should be scared of his resemblance to the Hulk or that maybe he was a little slow in the head."

"And that would be my dear sweet Emmett," I said.

"So, you pick one and you have the family you have always known; the safety and security that they have always provided for you. You pick the other, and that family is still there in a way, it will just be a different dynamic. You won't see them every day, and at first it may be a little awkward, but they love you and would never take away your dreams or happiness," Ang tried to reason.

"I know you are right. I know they would always be there for me. I know that whichever road I take, I will still intersect with the other at different points in my life. I just can't bare the thought of hurting one or the other."

"Well which one can you see your future with?" Ang asked.

"See, that's just it. I have imagined my life with both of them. What Jasper is offering is a chance in a lifetime. My dreams come true. But, I don't know if it is the American Idol fan talking or my actual dreams, because when I think about it, there is a real life I would be giving up. Then I think about Edward. I have known him practically my whole life. I can't imagine a day where we would not see each other. There were times that I imagined the big white dress and the wedding. There were times that I imagined him old, in rockers on a front porch. There were also times I imagined me beating the ever lovin' daylight out of him, but regardless what roles we play, he was in my life."

"Well, neither are a sure bet, but I don't think you can change your mind half way through. Why can't you have both the fantasy and the real life with one of them?" Ang argued.

"Really Ang...can you see Jasper with the white picket fence driving a minivan? That's what I'd be trading for sold out seats at the Astro dome. You know me; do I _want_ the Astro Dome? Do I want that life more than the picket fence? Cause I just don't know anymore..." I trailed off. I didn't know what to do anymore.

"You are still young; you could have the Astro Dome and then have the picket fence. Or you could have the picket fence and dream of the Astro dome," Ang said.

"That's what it comes down to huh? Choose the Rocker or the Doctor. Choose the wild extravagance or the quiet suburbia?" I asked.

"If you wanna put it that way? Yeah, The Rocker or The Doctor." Ang said, sounding like a game show host. She has been my soundboard on this issue for months now. All she wanted was me happy, but the question was, what is going to make me happy?

I sat there thinking about all that had happened in my life with Edward. Would I be able to just throw that away for a fifty/fifty shot of making my fantasies a reality?

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**A/N**

**I promise that in the future I will keep all the author's notes down at the bottom.  
**

I would really like to thank you all for reading my very first Fic.

I have to **give suzie55, PunkFox825, and nanas_mommy_** huge hugs and kisses for giving me the courage to get my thoughts out of my head and on into your computer screens.

Please take the time to go visit their FF pages they have all written excellent fics. I hope to be half as good as they are…

Okay…I am off to work on Chapter 2.

Hugs,

SheshaLesha


	2. The Early Years

**You Belong with Me**

**Join Bella as she remembers her life and the choices she has made that led her up to having to choose Safe Edward or Rocker Boy Jasper...**

Sadly I only own the plot, not the characters...

_**When we left Bella and Angela**_

_"If you wanna put it that way? Yeah, The Rocker or The Doctor," Ang said, sounding like a game show host. She has been my soundboard on this issue for months now. All she wanted was me happy, but the question was, what is going to make me happy?_

_I sat there thinking about all that had happened in my life with Edward. Would I be able to just throw that away for a fifty/fifty shot of making my fantasies a reality?_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 2: The Early Years**

The thought of Edward always flooded my brain with memories. We had known each other since we were ten years old. Our families combined and made an oddly strange, Brady Bunch mix, only there was an extra Dad and no maid.

When Alice entered my life, so did Edward. I wanted to deck him the first time we met.

"_Sorry sweetie. Our Ali, she is a Tasmanian devil. You're going to need to eat your broccoli if you expect to keep up with her."_

_I was going to have to eat vegetables in order to have a best friend? That didn't sound right._

_Then I heard another voice, one that I had yet to hear, laughing like a hyena._

"_She's not serious, you silly, little girl," Edward sputtered out between laughs._

"_Who you callin' silly? You funny haired boy!" I shouted. "I like broccoli! As scrawny as you are, you could eat an extra helping or two!"_

"_BELLS!" Charlie yelled at me. "You need to apologize right now. You know better than to insult people like that."_

"_Well he started it by calling me silly! I am not silly! Em is silly! I am the smartest one in my class..." I was defending myself to Charlie when Edward interrupted._

"_Not anymore. I am the smartest one now," he smugly stated as he walked off into the house, with Carlisle hot on his tail._

"Beellllaaaaaa, Hellloo!" Angela sang in a sing-song voice trying to pull me out of my thoughts. "Bella, did you want a refill on your soda?"

"O! I'm so sorry! Yes, Please! Diet Dr. Pepper please," I apologized to Ang, as I handed over my glass to the agitated waitress.

"Ang, I am so sorry. I was just thinking about how much I hated Edward when we first met. He was the most aggravating, annoying, exasperating, frustrating little shit ever!"

"Really Bella, tell us how you really felt," Ang giggled.

"Well, have you ever met someone who was so smug and sure of himself you just wanted to slap the smirk right off his face?" Bella asked.

Angela was nodding her head, when she got an evil glint in her eye. Bella knew that Ang understood exactly what she was talking about, "Exactly! That was Edward, but now imagine all that in a ten year old!"

He couldn't resist a competition and I had been surrounded by boys, so nothing scared me. We battled over everything from who could climb a tree faster to who got the highest on their weekly spelling test. For years we each received gold medals for spelling bees and relay races.

Edward quickly joined in with Em and Jacob on who could bug me the most. He also made fast friends with the rest of the boys in the neighborhood. Edward could back up most of what he boasted about. He was the fastest runner, best climber, and quickest strategist. He was smug for a reason, but I always hated that he knew just how good he was.

"So, did he treat you like a silly sister or what when ya'll were kids?" Ang asked.

"He had his moments," I said remembering different pranks that we all played. "One time, I guess it was right after Jacob's tenth birthday. He had gotten this huge 3-D globe puzzle thing. Jacob and Edward were at our kitchen table putting it together, snickering and giving these knowing looks. I was about to leave for choir practice, so I was just standing around waiting on Charlie. Edward asked me to help him and I should have known they were up to know good," I said shaking my head as the memory flashed in my mind.

"_Hey Bells, you think you could give us a hand here?" Edward asked, while trying to hold the globe and put in a piece of the puzzle. _

"_Yeah, what do ya need?" I answered._

"_Well, Jake keeps dropping the pieces inside the opening and I don't have it stable enough to let go. So could you reach in and grab those few pieces?" He asked while giving Jake a funny look._

_I should have known better, but against my better judgment I reached into the globe and immediately pulled my hand out screaming, '__**EEEUW!'**__ My hand was covered in cold slime that __looked a lot like snot. It was clumpy and kinda green. I held my hand as far away from my body as humanly possible and ran to the sink, quickly turning on the water to wash the yuck off. _

"_What was that!" I shrieked_

_The boys were laughing so hard they could barely get their voices to cooperate, "Piii...stac...chiooo...puu..ddd...ing," Edward and Jacob howled out between laughter. _

_I was so angry that I started throwing stuff at the boys. Kitchen towels didn't fly across the room so well, so I turned and reached for the utensils right as Charlie walked into the kitchen. All movement stopped at the sight of him. _

_He surveyed the chaos and slowly began to address us, "Bells, never go for the knives. Spatulas are alright, but never the knives little girl." Charlie winked at me as he turned to the boys. "Aaaannnnddd boys, I have no idea what is leaking out of that globe but, it better all be cleaned up by the time I get back."_

"Okay that is just such a _boy_ thing to do," Angela stated when I was finished telling her about the pudding indecent. "And, have I told you how much I love your dad today?"

"Ha! Well, yeah. That is just a taste of what it was like to grow up with the three of them," I laughed. "There were times that Ali and I would retaliate, but never as good as we got."

"We were major 'Saved By the Bell' fans and we would often tell the boys they were acting like Screech. Em and Jacob would laugh it off, as our teasing never had an effect on them. However, it really got under Edward's skin. I guess he still held a grudge from me calling him scrawny," I explained to Ang.

"Don't tell me he looked like Screech." Ang was shocked that I would associate the Screech character with the Edward we knew today.

"Truthfully, he was kinda funny looking. He had this crazy mop of reddish brown hair. It made his head look three times bigger than his body. Compared to the walking Hoovers, Em and Jacob, he_ was_ scrawny. He was all limbs, like a grasshopper, and I haven't even told you about the caterpillars crawling across his forehead. He was definitely in that ugly duckling stage of adolescences, where your grown up features are too large for your kid body. H_uge_ green eyes sat under the bushy eyebrows. Big red lips covered his two buck teeth." I described the preteen version of Edward to Ang. She was speechless and sat in front of me with her mouth hung open in shock.

After a few minutes of stupor, she asked a few more questions about growing up with the boys. We talked about the different beach and fishing trips. I told her stories about family vacations. Ali and I filling the boys' bags with rocks and listening to them whine in wonderment of how their bags were so heavy. I told her stories of Ali and I loosening the valves on their bike tires and putting saran wrap over their toilets. I told her about trips I would take with the boys to the hunting cabin, where we would chase each other with snakes and fill sleeping bags with bug carcasses. In one combination or another, the five of us kids were always together.

"They were horrible! They would freeze our panties, put sticker burs in our socks, and no food was ever safe. Ali and I were always on constant look out for their antics. But Edward's always went a step further," I told her.

"How so? What did he do that they didn't all do?" Ang asked.

Our small town didn't have much of a school system. The schools were small and supported the needs of the majority, not the minority. Edward and I were defiantly the minority. Academically we were leaps and bounds ahead of the other students in our grade. I had already been labeled gifted and talented by the second grade. By the time I was in the fifth grade, I was reading at a tenth grade level.Edward was not much different. He was more skilled in the mathematics than reading, but together we out ranked everyone else in our small school. We were often the only two in our reading groups, had our own special projects for science fairs, and we had our own math books. A special teacher would take us out of our class several times a week and teach advanced lessons.

"Well, because we were in all the same classes, he had more time with just me. Also, because we were neck and neck for the highest grades."

"He messed with your grades?" Ang was shocked Edward would do such a thing. "Now that is just _wrong_."

"He would try. His favorite thing to do was telling me I missed announcements about pop quizzes. I would study all night, be nervous all day and then sure enough there would be no quiz. I knew after the first time not to believe him, but there was always that voice in my head that was afraid this time was real. He took advantage of the fact that I was a nervous tester," I explained to Ang.

"What happened when you called him on it?"

Impersonating my best Edward voice, I sat up straighter to be taller than Ang and kind of looked down my nose at her. Repeating his favorite line, I said, "Crash studying for a supposed pop quiz doesn't make the best student _Bell-la_. You should know this without having to study, like me." Then I scoffed at her and turned to the side, just as Edward always did to me in those days.

"Oooh, yeah, I would have hated him too," Ang proclaimed. "What a jerk!"

"He did have his moments," I agreed.

"When did it change? He isn't like that now. When did he start treating you like a friend and not a kid sister?" Ang asked.

"Hmmm...I guess it was around my fourteenth birthday, our freshman year in high school."

High school was a scary place. Looking back on it now, I was thankful I had Edward with me. I was not sure I would have survived without him being there.

* * *

**A/N**

**This was a short Chapter. Some will be short and some will be long.  
**

**I would really like to thank you all for reading my very first Fic.**

**I have to thank my team of Beta's...they help me more than they will ever know. PunkFox825, nanas_mommy_, and TheUnderStudy. PLEASE look at their TWITTER profiles for Links to their links. I have the sweetest pre-reader in the world! Hugs and Kisses twimomlover.**

Okay…I am off to work on a much longer Chapter 3.

Hugs,

SheshaLesha


	3. Flirting

**You Belong with Me**

**Join Bella as she remembers her life and the choices she has made that led her up to having to choose Safe Edward or Rocker Boy Jasper...**

Sadly I only own the plot, not the characters...

_**When we left Bella and Angela**_

"_When did it change? He isn't like that now. When did he start treating you like a friend and not a kid sister?" Ang asked._

"_Hmmm...I guess it was around my fourteenth birthday, our freshman year in high school."_

_High school was a scary place. Looking back on it now, I was thankful I had Edward with me. I was not sure I would have survived without him being there._

Chapter 3: Flirting

* * *

Before high school, I tried various sporting activities, like soccer and gymnastics. I was just not cut out for it. There were only so many times that I could fall flat on my face, before throwing in the towel. The yoga classes and video tapes that Esme and I practiced with were helping with my coordination, but I was still all arms and legs. Yoga was really hard at first and I was sure I was the only person who had difficulty standing and breathing. I still had a ways to go and the first few weeks of high school proved that my walking on a flat surface skills were lacking.

"You know I am not the most graceful person to walk the earth? Well imagine it twenty times worse. Now picture being bumped into by tons of kids rushing around tiny halls trying to get to their next class. Rat Race doesn't even give do it justice," I was explaining to Ang.

"You've seen my old high school. It was not the biggest building in town and the inside is a maze of halls. Some of the areas are old and some new, so the flooring is all different elevations," I was trying to defend my lackluster balance skills.

"You must have fallen down every day," Ang smiled at me in sympathy.

"Well, I stumbled _a lot_, and fell occasionally."

"This one day, everyone was rushing to get to the gym for an assembly. My hands were full of books and I had just started climbing the bleachers. I was watching my feet and not looking at what was in front of me." I was telling Ang about one of my worst spills to date.

"I am still not sure what I bumped into, but it or he was tall and solid. I had just side stepped someone's bag, so when I lost balance, my foot got caught in the strap and I went tumbling down the bleachers. By the time I came to a stop I had fallen down five steps and landed on the gymnasium floor. I heard people yelling and there was a lot of commotion, but I was afraid to open my eyes. I was beyond embarrassed and my head was killing me. I felt someone slide their arms under me. I tried to fight them and tell them I was okay. That was when I heard Edward whispering in my ear. 'It's okay, Bells, I got ya'. I was so happy that it was one of my family that I was bleeding all over. I knew it was coming from my head. Edward started barking out orders and everyone listened to him. He rushed me to the nurse's office and she was trying to tell him to go on back to the gym, but he just wouldn't budge. He was yelling at her to call Charlie and his dad. He told her to make the call again or he was gonna have Charlie arrest her when he got there." As I retold the story to Ang, all those emotions and memories came flooding back to me.

That was the first real time that Edward showed any true feelings for me. I thought that he was being a really good brother, protecting his sister. He was worried and took charge just as any of us would do for the other.

"_Bells, can you open your eyes? The swelling is really bad and I need to see if they will open," Edward urged._

_I slowly opened my eyes, but there was a strange pressure over my left eye lid. It wouldn't open all the way and my head was spinning so fast. I was sure that any minute I was going to pass out and succumb to the pain radiating throughout my body._

"_Bells, besides your head, where does it hurt? Can you move your arms, fingers, legs, and toes?" Edward asked as he started patting me down._

"_I don't think anything is-OOOUUUCCCHHH!" I screamed as Edward wiggled my left ankle._

"_It's okay. I won't do that again. I am so sorry. I just wanted to check if you had any protruding broken bones. My dad's on his way," Edward whispered in my ear, holding my hand._

_We had never held hands. His hand was soft and the soothing circles his thumb rubbed on the back of my hand felt nice and warm. In my crazy half-__conscious, concussion mind frame, I thought Edward looked really sweet standing beside me. He had this half smile that looked more fearful than encouraging and he almost seemed on the verge of tears. He would alternate between rubbing circles on my hand and wiping blood from my many cuts. But he never left my side and thoroughly pissed off Ms. Cope._

"_Bells, Dad's here. I am gonna carry you to the car," Edward said as he lifted me from the extremely uncomfortable table in the nurse's office._

"_Edward! What are you doing? I will take her-" Carlisle was arguing with Edward._

"_NO! Dad, I got her. Just get the doors for me." Edward gripped me tighter as if he was afraid someone would take me away._

"_Okay son, just be careful with her."_

_The next thing I knew I was in a hospital room and there seemed to be hundreds of voices. "Ssssshhhh!" I tried to tell them all._

"_Look dad, she's waking up. Charlie!" It was Edward, right next to my side, holding my hand rubbing those soothing circles again._

_Carlisle took one hand while Charlie took the hand that Edward was holding and they both immediately began asking questions. I looked over to Edward and he looked sad to have been moved from his spot. When he noticed me looking at him, he gave me his sweet half smile. And yet again, it looked like there was more behind it than just a smile._

"Awwwe, Bells, how long were you in the hospital?" Ang asked.

"Only over night. I broke my ankle and had a pretty good concussion. My eye took forever to return to normal. It was still kinda bruised on my birthday."

"With Em's birthday in October and mine in September, we were thinking of having this huge party at that old skating rink out on Ayers. But with my foot in a cast the party got canceled. I ended up having a sleep over with Ali and a few girls from school. Esme took Ali and me shopping. It was fun and I got my first ipod," I told Ang.

"So how did Edward act once you were back at school? Any more pop quiz pranks?" she asked.

"No. That is what was soo confusing. Actually, he acted kinda distant, but bossy all at the same time. From that point on, at every assembly, he was sitting on the first row of the bleachers with a spot saved for me."

"Well, that is sweet. Did he carry your books for you in the halls? I always wanted a boyfriend to do that..." Ang pouted

Trying very hard not to giggle at Ang's wistful gaze, "uummm, noooo. He was never sweet like that. But if he saw me in the halls, he would walk with me, sometimes. Thankfully I haven't fallen like that again."

"Well was he doing anything...O! But wait! Ya'll were like fourteen at this point right?" Ang asked.

"Yeah, we were still babies. No big, grand, romantic gestures at that time. Well, unless you count the Valentine's Lollipop I got," I said trying very hard not to laugh at Ang's excitement over my not so romantic freshman year.

"But, he _was_ your knight in shining armor when you ate it at the assembly."

"Hey, some sympathy here for the vertically challenged."

"So, freshman year he: held your hand, bought you a lollipop, and saved seats for you at assemblies," Ang summarized.

"He also stopped all the pranks, treated me like a friend and not just a kid sister. He also stopped with the pop quiz scares," I added to her summary.

"All right, come on. When do you get to the good crap? Who did you share your first kiss with?" Ang asked impatiently.

"Okay! Okay! Impatient much? Hmmmmm, let me think..."

The summer between freshman and sophomore year was a growing one, in more ways than one.

_With the yoga, swimming, and surfing, my body had started to change from the gangly preteen girl to that of a curvy woman. I thought I had a nice body. Occasionally I would hear boys say, "You can bounce a quarter on that". I wasn't real sure what that meant exactly, but I was sure it had to do with my behind. It wasn't flat anymore and neither was my chest. _

"_CHARLIE! You cannot let her out of the house like that! I am already junk punching two or three guys a day. If you let her wear that bikini, I will have to blind every boy on the __beach," Em yelled at Charlie._

_I was quite proud of my new bikini. Ali and I scoured the mall looking for just the right suits. I had my hair loose and curly with a thin band of French braid along the front. My sarong was tied low on my hips and I even had on matching flip-flops. I was cute. Who did Em think he was telling Charlie I looked inappropriate?_

"_Who do you think you are? I have more fabric covering my body than half of those girls down at the beach that you are always drooling over! Charlie, tell him I am fine the way I am!"_

"_Uummm, well Bells, you could maybe put on a suit that you got this year. You don't have to wear your old one. It's looking a little snug ar..." Charlie said, trying to diffuse the argument._

"_WHAT! I JUST BOUGHT THIS LAST WEEK! I told you all about it. Do you even listen to me when I tell you stuff? Oh no? My bad the Astros were playing."_

"_No. No. Now Bells, I listen to you a lot. I just didn't realize this was the suit you had purchased. You look...very...grown up," Charlie mumbled while his cheeks blushed as red as mine do._

_Em smirked and smugly added, "See what I mean?"_

"_Okay! Okay! Bells, you think maybe you could tie that sheet thing differently? Like maybe up around your neck? You wouldn't want to get a sunburn in that area. And Em, if those boys are saying disrespectful things about any of the girls, you come get me and I will put a stop to that."_

"_But Daaaad" I started to whine._

"_NO! Now Bells, you just cover up that top area there," he said as he pointed to my chest. He had not looked at my chest area during this whole conversation yet, he was still red as a tomato._

_I ripped the SARONG off and started to stomp up the stairs when Jacob decided to add his two cents as __well, "Belly Bells! Does that sheet thing cover your hiney? 'Cuz you are starting to get a serious case of junk in the trunk!"_

"_UGH! All of you can just jump off the roof!" I shouted all the way to my room and slammed my door._

I started laughing uncontrollably at the memory that surface. "Oh. My. God. Ang, I just remembered the first time Charlie realized I had breasts. I don't think he looked at me for the whole summer and if he did, it was directly in the eye and only in the eye."

"Oh yeah, I remember when my dad found out I started my period. He walked on egg shells for months. I milked that as long as I could," Ang giggled.

I told her about all the pool parties and river trips we took. About Edward's wondering eye and his smug attitude.

I wasn't the only one who had transformed that summer. Edward went from scrawny to buff in what seemed over night. He had muscles in places I'd never noticed before. His hair called to me to swipe it away from his eyes and I am not sure if he started wearing cologne or if it was just his scent, but I found myself wanting to sniff him.

As I started to tell her about the last trip to the river, I remembered the first time I saw _all_ of Edward's new muscles.

"Okay so every time we all go to the Frio, we stay in this huge cabin. Ali and I share a room and the boys share a room. We all share a bathroom that connects the two bedrooms. So if you don't lock the doors, you will get walked in on," I was starting the story and Ang was already giddy with anticipation.

"We had all just gone for a three hour float down the river. We were hungry, thirsty, and all needed showers before the end of the night. Esme was in the kitchen getting dinner ready so I decided to stay and help her out instead of fighting for the showers. Thirty minutes had passed and I figured the bathrooms would be clear. I walked to our room and grabbed my pj's and travel bag. I didn't hear water running so I swung the door open. Ang I swear as long as I live I will never forget the look on his face," I told her.

"He was standing there in all of his six foot naked glory. I slowly looked him up and down. He had his towel up around his hair, trying to dry it off. At first he was shocked, then he slowly turned his face into a smug smirk and continued to dry his hair. I had never seen what was behind his boxers, so I was speechless, shocked, and honestly a little scared," I confessed to Ang.

"_Bells, if you take a picture it will last longer," Edward said full of confidence._

"_Oh, I..ummm...I am ...sooo..sorry." I was frozen in my spot, I couldn't move, I just stood there stuttering out apologies._

"_Do you have questions? I am sure my dad can give you a sexual education crash course, or if you want, I can."_

"_What? NOOOO! I am sorry. I just...erm...I will see you dressed at dinner," I said as I slammed the door shut._

"Ang, I swear, I stood there for a whole ten minutes after I heard him shut the other door. I was soo embarrassed I didn't look him in the face for the rest of the trip," I said.

"Haaaaahaaaahaaaaa!" Ang laughed and almost choked on a French fry. "Soooo, how big was this scary sight you walked in on?"

"Wouldn't you like to know!" I teased, "Let's just say for the next several weeks, every time I saw Edward, I wondered how he walked with that addition between his legs."

"No! Really, like a third leg huh? He does have big hands and feet..." Ang pondered.

"Just stop! I can't talk to you about that anymore. Wipe the drool from your chin." I teased as I threw a napkin at her.

"Hey, I love Ben. What he does in the bedroom is wonderful, but a girl can always fantasize. You know they do," Ang defended.

Things with Edward were awkward to say the least. Several times I would feel eyes on me and turn to see Edward staring at me. I was too embarrassed from our bathroom encounter to call him on it, but I noticed. The week before school started, I had try outs for Choir. I was hoping to earn First Chair in the Solo group. I really knew my competition and practiced religiously. I could sing the National Anthem forwards and backwards, but I was still nervous.

"_Don't worry so much, Bells. You got this. You are the best our school has seen in years, if not ever," Edward said as we sat waiting for tryouts to begin. _

_Edward was playing the piano for all of the students. He had been playing the piano since he was four years old. He was naturally blessed with the ability to play by ear and honestly was a bit of a prodigy. Esme and Carlisle debated for years over pushing him in to being a concert pianist. However, they finally decided that if that was where his dreams lie, then he would be able to tell them when he was older. Edward chose to be a normal teenager and see about it after high school. _

"_Really Bells, don't worry," Edward said as he turned me to look at him. "There you are. I haven't really seen you since the river. Bells, you are gonna cream the pants off those other guys. Walk out there with your head held high and show them what I know you can do."_

_I sang like I'd never sung before. I carried each note higher and longer than I ever had. I owned that stage, and Edward looked at me like he never had before. The audience was standing and clapping. I ran to Edward with such excitement, I almost knocked us over. _

_He grabbed me up and spun me I around, "I told you Bells. I told you." He said when we came to a __stop. He was still holding me in his arms and we were looking at each other in the eyes. I felt like there was more to be done at that moment, but the rest of our family joined our celebration. We parted and I immediately wanted to be back in his arms. _

"So finally we get to some kissing?" Ang asked hopefully.

"Not just yet. We were definitely closer friends."

I told Angela all about the Friday night bus rides and football games. He would always share his blanket with me and when I feel asleep on the ride home, he would play with my hair. I told her about his encouragement and support at all the choir concerts, the way he would sit with me beforehand and calm my nerves.

"Okay. So sophomore year he still played the friend card?" Ang asked.

"Yeah. I suppose he did. Still no kisses. But I did get a box of chocolates instead of just a lollipop," I told Ang.

"All right, let's see if I've got this. Edward is always in the picture. You have discovered he is _all _manhood and you have uncontrollable urges to run your fingers through his hair, and sniff him. He is sweet, supportive, and easy to talk with. He shares his blanket and doesn't resist the urge to play with your hair." Ang counted off the key points on her fingers.

"You ever think maybe he was waiting for you to make the first move?" Ang asked.

"Hmmm, maybe he was? I didn't put a lot of thought into his behavior at that time," I explained. "I was a late bloomer what can I say."

"Please tell me you all did more than flirting in your junior year of high school?" Ang begged.

"Yep, Ang! All the action begins when we were juniors," I promised her.

I sat back into the cushy booth and smiled as the images of Edward in a suit, and him driving us to school came back to me.

* * *

**AN:**

**I have to thank my Betas...You all are my most favorite people! Thank You soooo much for all that you do for me.**

**Hugs and Kisses to nanas_mommy_ TheUnderStudy PunkFox825**

**A very special thanks to candykizzes24 for making me my AWESOME banner which can be seen at TwiFicPics.**

**Right now I am reading Pound of Flesh, The Caged Bird Sings, and Sins of the Piano Man, all of the links for these fics can be found on  
**

**twificdatabase(.)weebly(.)com**

Thank You for reading...See you soon!

SheshaLesha


	4. Kisses

**You Belong with Me**

**Join Bella as she remembers her life and the choices she has made that led her up to having to choose Safe Edward or Rocker Boy Jasper...**

Sadly I only own the plot, not the characters...

* * *

_**When we left Bella and Angela**_

"_Please tell me you all did more than flirting in your junior year at high school?" Ang begged._

"_Yep Ang! All the action begins when we were juniors," I promised her._

_I sat back into the cushy booth seat and smiled as the image of Edward in a suit and him driving us to school came back to me._

_

* * *

_

Chapter 4: Kisses

When you have spent your life with someone, there are just too many memories to share. There were little everyday looks and secret smiles to big birthdays and holidays. Edward's birthdays were always a pool party at the beginning of summer. We would have all of our friends and lots of food. The boys would control the music and the girls would gossip. There was always a story to tell or hear about when you lived in such a small town.

"_Hey, Bells... You wanna take a walk with me?" Edward asked, smiling his thousand watt smile. He held out his hand and I took it, allowing him to lead the way._

"_Bells, I know that a lot of things might change this year. We won't have as many classes together and we'll be leaving to go take those college classes. Are you nervous about it?" Edward asked._

"_Yeah, a little, but not that much. I am excited about finally meeting some new people and almost being done with high school. Can you believe that we are gonna be juniors? Two more years and then we are free. "_

"_Yeah, I guess... No, I know. I guess, well..." Edward mumbled and bumbled trying to explain his thoughts._

"_Come on. Spit it out! What has you so tongue tied?"_

"_Bells, just don't change who you are to fit in with the cool kids okay. I "Ireallylikewhoyouare... and… Idontwannalooseyou."," Edward finally spit out. _

_Once I decoded his rambled on sentence, I almost fell over laughing. I was so caught off guard by his proclamation that I wasn't really sure what he meant by it. Yes, I really liked the time that we had spent together; I could really talk to him about whatever was going through my head. He challenged me on my thoughts and kept me on my toes._

"_E, what do you mean you don't wanna loose me. I am Ali's best friend and your neighbor. Where am __I going to go?"_

_Edward stared at me for a few minutes and then suddenly asked "Just my neighbor? Just Ali's best friend? So, you don't see me as anything other than that? Just your neighbor and her brother?"_

"_Well, yeah. You are my friend too, but I thought you just kinda tolerated me. I didn't think you considered me as anything more than your neighbor and Ali's friend" I explained._

"_Bells... Bella, you are my best friend. I can be myself when I am with you. I don't have to act when we are together. Hanging out with you are some of my favorite times of the day. Em and Jake are great, but they are seriously lacking in the brains department. They tease me when they catch me reading and all they ever want to do is play video games. You and I can talk about books and music."_

_His confession shocked me. I had no idea that Edward felt that strongly about the time we spent together. I was even more shocked when Edward slowly leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. _

"_Bella you are my friend and I don't want to lose that. Can we promise each other that no matter what happens, we will remain friends and always talk to each other?"_

"_Yes. Edward, I will always be your friend. You can count on that," I promised him._

_We held hands and walked silently for a few minutes. I desperately wanted to ask him what he was thinking, but I also enjoyed the silence we shared. It gave me a chance to digest all these new feelings and emotions that were swirling around inside of me. I've known since last year that things were slightly changing between us. I just didn't have a name for it and couldn't concentrate with him holding my hand._

_I blurted out the craziest thing I think I have ever said to him, "You better not go get all Joe Cool and start dating all the skanks, cuz I just might have to beat ya."_

"_Hardy. Har. Har. Bella. Me, Joe Cool. I don't see that happening. And, I don't have time for girls. I want to get into Medical School remember." _

_We finished up our walk around the neighborhood, teasing each other and comparing our favorite songs of the summer. We really did get along well, considering how much I hated him when he first moved in next door. If it hadn't been for Ali and Esme, I very well may have beaten him up._

"Bella. Bel-la. You wanna order the Brownie Explosion?" Ang asked when she sat back down. We had been at the diner for a while. They always had a ton of customers who took up the booths for hours at a time, studying and drinking copious amounts of coffee. They never seemed to mind as long as you kept ordering their food and left hefty tips for the waitresses.

"Mmmmm,yes! That sounds so good." I said as we both began to flag down our nearby waitress.

"Soooo," Ang began as she situated herself in the booth, "You were going to start talking about first kisses before I left for the bathroom."

"Yes. The good stuff," I agreed.

"Hmmmm, let's see. Did I ever tell you that I dated Tyler? He was the first boy to ever ask me out," I asked Ang.

"Wait! WHAT?" Ang asked confused. "Please don't tell me that you walked away from Edward for Tyler. That is just a sin against nature"

"Well, no. I didn't walk away from Edward for Tyler. Edward was still playing his friend card, as you put it earlier."

"Alright, let me have it. How did it happen that your first real date was with Tyler?" Ang was obviously perturbed as she asked.

_I was really nervous about my Trigonometry class. Mr. Pool was a very hard teacher and a rumored jerk. He was a retired NASA engineer, who may or may not have been fired for messing up something with one of the space shuttles. He never took his eyes off of the board and hardly ever took a breath. If you missed a step, you were screwed because he would not pause to ask if you were following along. How that man was certified to teach was beyond me._

_Tyler, one of the neighborhood boys, was in Mr. Pool's class with me. I hadn't really seen him hanging around with the boys lately. Not that I paid a lot of attention to the boys. I was definitely a late bloomer or none of the boys in school made me all breathless and girlie. There were several that Ali swooned over daily, but I just didn't wanna be bothered with it. Ali thought that several of the boys liked me, especially Tyler. I thought he just needed help with homework. Our school has a strict "No Pass. No Play" policy. With Tyler being on the football team, he had to pass Mr. Pool's class._

_Every Friday, Edward and I would load up with the rest of the band to perform at the Football games. Em and Jacob were on the varsity football team and Ali was a cheerleader. It was fun, but scary watching Ali fly through the air and the boys get tackled to the ground. Em being the biggest guy on the team meant he did most of the tackling, but still he could get hurt._

_At the start of every home game, I would leave the bleachers and scurry down to the field to sing the National Anthem. I hated being out on that field with every one looking at me, but I loved to sing. So I would find Charlie and Esme's face in the crowd and focus on their smiles to get me through the song. I was petrified that I would miss a note and embarrass myself in front of the whole town. After singing, I would scurry back into the stands sitting next to Edward._

"_Great Job Bells! You always knock my socks off when you belt out those high notes," Edward complimented me._

"_Thanks E. It is getting easier to go out there and be in front of all those people."_

"_Oh Yeah! So you aren't puking under the stands anymore?" He asked trying to conceal his laugh._

"_NO!" I said as I smacked his arm, "That was only the first time."_

"_Haaa, mmmmkay, if you say so," he was all out laughing now._

"_Alright, it might have happened more than once," I confessed._

"_So, are you going to Homecoming? Has anyone asked you to be their date? I was thi..."_

"_Oh yeah, Tyler asked me on our Wednesday study session if I would like to go wi..."_

"_Oh! Well, yeah you should go with him then. I think I'll ask Lauren," Edward said interrupting me._

"_With Lauren huh? Oh well, yeah. I guess y'all have been talking a lot lately..."  
_

"_She's not too bad. She's nowhere near as bad as Jessica, but she is kinda superficial. We are just friends. It's just a dance and I may not even go" Edward said._

"BELLA! Did you not see that? He was gonna ask you to the dance! How could you not see that he wanted to go to the dance with you?" Ang yelled at me.

"What? He was not going to ask me. He had been talking a lot with Lauren. She was always following him around and hanging on his every word. It was gross!" I explained.

"It very well may have been gross Bella, but was it returned? Did Edward follow her or hang on her? Was he seeking her out or just allowing her to be there?" Ang asked.

"Hmmm, I never thought of it that way. All I ever saw was Lauren and she was so obnoxious that it kind of skewed the whole picture. She was tall, blonde and I _swear_ she had a boob job over the summer. No female in history went from a training bra to double DDs in a 3 month span" I giggled.

"Oh, Bella, Bella, Bella" Ang sang while shaking her head at me. "Don't you see that you were a little jealous."

"NO! I was not!" I defended. "Okay, maybe I was intrigued...maybe just a tee-tiny bit jealous."

"No chica. You were full on jealous." Ang deadpanned, "Now that we have that cleared up… Tell me about the dance. What happened?"

"Ugh! Fine, the dance. I blame the following all on Mary Alice Cullen" I stated.

"_Wow Bella, blue is your color!" Ali was spinning me around in a circle, checking out the dress that I was wearing to the Homecoming dance._

_She had come over to help me with my hair. It was starting to get really long and I wanted to flat iron it so that it would be slick straight for the dance. When you have as much hair as I do, sometimes more than one flat iron is necessary, and Ali always comes prepared._

"_So are you going to kiss him? I know he wants to kiss you..." Ali was taunting me. She had been doing it all week. _

"_What? No! Ali, we are just friends. He is only asking me because I am helping him pass Mr. Pool's class. He doesn't like me like that." I swore our conversation had been about nothing but boys since school started._

"_Well, I heard him asking Em if he minded if Tyler kissed you. And…Em said 'Sure dude, if you think Bells will let you'" Ali said in a perfect Em impersonation._

_I wanted to laugh so hard at her puffed out chest and deep Em voice. However, __but__ I also wanted to scream at Em for giving some buffoon permission to kiss me. As if I would let my first kiss be with a jock who only knows my name because he is too stupid to follow along with a math lesson._

"_Oh, come on Bells. I am gonna kiss Seth. He is soooooo sweeet and he carries my books to all my classes. And, he will get a car next month. You know that is major! We can have our first kisses on that same night." Ali begged._

"_I am not kissing Tyler tonight or any other night. Just because he is half way nice now, doesn't mean I don't remember him pulling my hair and tripping me all the time when we were little. He was a major jerk all through my 'boys only' days. I don't forget or forgive easily. He's gonna have to do some major butt kissing if he expects a kiss out of me anytime soon" I was on a roll, griping about the days I was surround by boys, before Ali moved in next door._

"_Fine! I know all boys in this town are sorry S. as far as you're concerned, but you are going to have to get over that because we're all in High School now. Annnnd... they think you're gorgeous, they wannnna kiss you, they wannnnna hug you, they think you're prrrreeettty..."_

"_Okay Ms. Sandy, let's get the show on the road" I said cutting Ali off from her sing-song rendition of Miss Congeniality. _

"Bwahaahaa! I am sorry, sorry for interrupting, but I just love Ali. I can picture her singing that song and I can also picture your frustrated face...haaahaaa" Ang spluttered out in between laughs.

"Annnyway! The dance was actually a lot of fun and Tyler wasn't all that bad. He bought me a carnation corsage, we danced, and he was a perfect gentleman. We danced so much that the time flew and I didn't realize the dance was over until we were heading out to the car. He held my hand on the way home and walked me to my door. It really was all very sweet. He even asked me out on a second date."

"So no dancing with Edward? Did you even talk to Edward?" Ang asked.

"Ummm, Nope. I remember seeing him for a few minutes, but he didn't stay too long. I never thought to ask about it. We talked when I got home. I was so keyed up from all the dancing and fun of the dance. I decided to go out on the deck and read for a little bit. I must have only been outside for a few minutes before Edward came and sat next to me." I was telling Ang as the memory of that night flooded my mind.

_Our back deck was my most favorite place to cuddle up with a good book and read in the fall. Charlie always had the twinkle lights on and a log in the fire pit. For my fifteenth birthday, Jacob and Emmet bought me the most comfortable Teak Chaise Lounge. The way the slats are contoured made it seem like it was made just for me. The boys even picked the most perfect plush, red cushions. On most nights, I would get ready for bed, grab my book and my favorite oversized throw blanket, and head out to my spot on the deck._

"_E is that you? What are you doing out here?" I asked as I walked out the back door towards the deck._

"_Yeah, it's me. I was just thinking."_

"_Why are you thinking in my yard? What's wrong with yours?" He was sitting on my chaise, staring up to the sky. As I walked closer, I took in his bare chest. It __that__ was starting to get a light dusting of hair and his muscles were much more defined than I had remembered. He had one hand thrown back, resting on the head rest, while the other was spread across a light trail of hair ending under the waistband of his sleep pants. His hair was sticking up everywhere and the way that he was staring up at the sky, his lashes reached his still somewhat-bushy eyebrows. He really was a beautiful man. He was the perfect mix of Esme's classic bone structure and Carlisle's rugged manliness. _

"_Did you have fun tonight?" His voice shocked me back into the moment. When I focused on his face, he had the smug look. I knew it meant that he was aware I was ogling in my appreciation of his maturing body. _

"_Yeah, it was fun. I don't think I stopped dancing long enough to notice anything," I told him as I sat in the space left on the chaise. "Where were you? I only saw you once."_

"_I was around. You looked really pretty in that dress. You should wear blue more often."_

"_Not you too. Has Ali gotten to you? Are you going to become my fashion nazi as well?" I was having a hard time not giggling as I teased him._

_He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave a good tight squeeze causing me to nuzzle a little closer into his chest. "No. You could wear a paper sack and I would still think you looked pretty."_

"_What do you want Edward? All this sweet talk has to be for something," I said as he twisted a little to lie on his side. We were almost eye to eye. I was so lost in the trance of his emerald green eyes, that I wasn't prepared when his lips lightly brushed against mine. We both stayed there, almost in a kiss but not quite._

"_To kiss you Bella. I want to kiss you."_

_As his breath and words washed over me, I leaned the last centimeter in and softly began to kiss him. He was so gentle as he pressed further and took control of the kiss. I parted my lips and he slid his tongue in just a bit. The kiss seemed to last forever. It wasn't rough and needy, but sweet and new. He placed his hand at the base of my neck and slowly started to trail baby soft kisses towards my ear._

"_Bella, I wanted to be you first kiss. You were mine," he said. Then quickly got up and jogged back to his house. Leaving me alone in my yard completely dumbfounded._

"Awwe Bella, that is the sweetest First Kiss story I have ever heard," Ang said. "My first kiss was with a bumbling idiot my sophomore year under the bleachers during a pep rally. It was stinky and loud."

"It did leave me breathless and pretty damn speechless for at least a week. I had no idea where it came from and sure didn't understand why he avoided me like the plague afterwards."

"Well, weren't you dating Tyler? Maybe he was giving you space?"

Taking the last bite of the brownie explosion I nodded my head in answer. It had been quite some time since I had thought about that night. What _did_ he mean by, _'I wanted to be your first kiss'_, he _was_ my first kiss. Thinking back to the few months that I dated Tyler and what Angela was saying did make much more sense of Edward's attitude and actions.

In the months that followed homecoming, Edward got his first car and started to go off on his own. He was never around the group of us unless it was a family event. And even then he still isolated himself from us. We shared small conversations in our shared classes and he began sitting alone on the bus trips for football games. Of course, I was now sitting with Tyler and talking more to him, but Edward never made an attempt to sit with me or talk to me.

"I don't know Ang. It was more than just me dating Tyler, I think. He completely cut communication. We were just friends; he could have still been my friend."

"You silly girl, don't you see? He was mad and probably jealous that you went out with Tyler. Poor guy had been trying to get up the nerve to ask you out and Tyler beat him to the punch. Then not only do you go out with Tyler, but he thinks you kissed, which then made him think you didn't share the same feelings as he did. Poor guy had a broken heart, with no one to talk to about it", Ang explained.

"Hmmmm, maybe. It is getting late. You wanna come over for dinner tomorrow? I have to clear out my pantry before I move out. Bring a bottle of wine and I will tell you what happened after I broke up with Tyler?"

"Why did you break up with Tyler?" Ang asked as he was reaching for her wallet.

"That my dear, I will tell you tomorrow at 6ish?"

As I was walking out of Sunny Side Up, I checked my phone for the first time all evening. I had three missed calls and four waiting texts. I knew who they were from, but wasn't in the mind set to talk to anyone right now. I was stuck in High School reliving my Junior year all over again.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I would like to thank my betas who I love! I hope you liked this chap...Sorry it took so long to get out, I was tad bit busy getting a certain website off the ground. **

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